Webster/Crable analysis

Hi all. Quite a few questions on DeAngelo Hall. Don't think it's a consideration at all. Not their type of player/guy. One thing to keep in mind is that the Falcons new GM came from the Patriots. One of his first moves was to trade Hall. That is one indication, to me, that Hall is not a Patriot-type option.
--Mike

Why not sign law? Would the pats have cap problems with signing him? He cant be looking for that much money as the season is half over. He must be a better option at this point than webster. This move seems to be salary related. It looks like the pats want to cheap out this year.

It seems very probable to me that Crable is getting red-shirted here.

This also happened with someone else recently--I remember reading a quote from this rookie, who was put on IR, who basically said "I thought I was going to be able to play soon, but here I go now on the IR" without talking about aggravating the injury or anything.

The Pats seem to have a disproportionate amount of young guys go on IR for strange injuries. Of course, it doesn't have to be nefarious--the Pats' secretive ways about injuryes probably makes these IRs seem stranger than they really are.
Any thoughts on this, Mike?

Hey Mike, now that the Raiders have released Hall, do you think the Pats might go after him?

I was wondering what the deal was with Crable. I saw him as potential Pass rusher and was some what surprised not to see him play. At least now I know why. I have some interest in Hall as it relates to his raw abilities. However, without Rodney there to police him on the field, it would be a tragedy to see Hall on the roster.

I was done with Law the moment he left. It appears my thinking is the same as the Pats or he would be here right now. Theres something not clicking with him. Cash registers shouldnt roll open for a player past his prime.

Mike:
Is Wheatley's injury to the same hand/wrist that he had surgery on in college? When he left the field, I thought "he's done for the year."

Sign Hall to an incentive-laden contract a la Moss last year...& re-sign Ty Law...why the heck not? As things are now, any QB with an arm will kill them......

I also thought Wheatley's injury looked to be a season ending....

Wheatley and Richardson were beaten by Gonzales from the slot on those toughdowns, but I think you have to give the Colts some credit there too. The plays were set up beautifully and Wheatley in particular had no chance as he was picked out of the play. That kind of a play will work every time with the kind of coverage the Pats had. A little zone or switching action might have been a better option.

Wheatley's college injury was a broken right wrist, so this injury appears to be to the other, left wrist.

Tom M

Garry, you might be thinking of Wilhite, not Wheatley.

The bottom line is that we need a corner and a veteran corner with a little bit of talent which makes LAW a prime option. Drop your feelings on the fact that he left the team but if the pats want to be a serious contender and actually make the playoffs....then sign law.

i need a "sign ty law" spam filter.

Red-shirting preserves an year of college eligibility. In the NFL, "red-shirting" wastes a paid contract year and brings the player closer to free agency with the team not getting anything that year. Cannot compare the two.

The most you can say is that Crable is a bubble player they'd have to cut instead of activating and they choose to give him an extra shot, but I think they would like to use him if he could play.

Oh well, the NFL is a tough league to stay healthy in.

Have any of the people here begging for Ty Law seen him play the past two years? I know I never saw much of him ni KC, and I doubt you did too.

You wan the Pats to sign him on reputation alone. If the guys cannot run anymore (which is a real possibility) than he does not help the team. Law had a lot of talent, but I strongly doubt he is still the player he once was.

Someone prove me wrong?

I am surprised not to see any mention of John Lynch here. I thought he would be a good option now with Harrison gone, because of his experience & Harrison like traits. He would be a solid option covering the slot, similar to what Harrison was occasionally used for as a hybrid Linebacker too. His loss of a step is probably not as critical as the rookies lack of experience, because of his smarts.

Seems like we need to load up on DB's: Hall, Lynch, Law etc, as we have averaged 1 DB per week going down to injuries, leaving not much left back there. Also last week the front 3 & linebackers only contained the QB, not sack him. I don't know who developed that scheme, but it gave Manning all day to throw at the helpless DB's.

It will get even tougher when the NFL expands to 18 games.

I really like Mike Richardson, I'd like to see him get more snaps at corner. He's a good physical player and a solid tackler. His special teams play has been superb thus far too. Don't be too quick to judge him because of that one play against gonzalez.

Great job with the blog Mike!! I'm a big Pats fan from Vancouver, Canada and check the blog a few times a day. You guys are doing a great job reporting the news first, and breaking down how each player played in the past games.

Well done!

I don't think it's a scheme not to sack Manning. Richard Seymour simply has NO moves to get past a blocker on the pass rush. Ever actually watch him rush the passer? It goes like this--Richard comes out of stance, gets blocked once, then kind of nudges into the blocker and goes nowhere, or he just stands straight up and doesn't even threaten to put on a move. How many other DE's get no pressure on the QB and make no plays on defenders' ballcarriers--and somehow have a reputation for being a stalwart? Must be the most overrated DL in the league.

Just goes to show how different fans see different things, Don. I think Seymour's been playing well so far this season. The lack of an outside pass rush has been a bit troubling, and I think QBs have been getting the ball away quicker than usual (probably coverage-related). Seymour's the only one getting any consistent penetration inside on passing plays, in my opinion.

Don, In a 3-4 it is not Seymours primary job to rush the passer but to fill gaps in the running game. In a 3-4 which is what the Pats use the outside LB's get most of the sacks and the inside LB's get most of the tackles by design. The fact that Sey has 4 sacks and leads the team in QB hits shows the value that he brings to the table. Look at the backs they have kept under 100 yard this year. I bet you don't really understand what you are watching.

ty law is a safety now...he's not the same ty law we remember running back int's for td's 6 years ago..get over it